


The Darkness that Sprouted Life

by MoistCentral



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Ada Has a Hard Time Understanding Emotions, Ada is Best Robot, Comedy, Gen, I Fucking Hate RadRoaches, I Want Some Nuka-Cola Dark, Moss is Icky, Other, Sole Survivor Gets a Little Tipsy, Still New To Writing, Why Do Radroaches Exist?, reliving memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-15 21:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15421941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoistCentral/pseuds/MoistCentral
Summary: The wasteland is a harsh place, common knowledge for anyone or anything that's lived in it. David's no stranger to the dangerous and unforgiving trials that The Commonwealth's thrown at him. However, one thing that David hasn't been able to cope with, is the lack of trust that only a true friend can provide. With every partner that has held his back on most journeys, he had a third eye looking behind him to make sure they didn't stab it.Then David met Ada, the quirky little robot that made him truly feel like he found what he'd been looking for all along.





	The Darkness that Sprouted Life

“How far down does this elevator go?”, a confused David exclaimed. The dark grey walls surrounding him rumbled and shook as the elevator plummeted down what seemed like an endless shaft, down into the task that had been given to him.

 

“It does seem deep below the surface.”, a calm, female voice uttered next to David. “But if my calculations are correct, the elevator will be reaching the end of this shaft at exactly-“

 

She was cut off by a slight shudder as the elevator ground to a rough stop.

 

“Now.”

 

David let out a light cough, feeling light specks of dust tickle his throat as he wafted away the slowly descending veil of dust that slipped through the doorway in front of him with a quick wave of his hand.

 

“Calculated.”, he muttered with a sigh, relieved at the close of an age long descent down that elevator shaft.

 

Ada perked behind him, quickly following his lead out of the elevator and into a hallway swathed with inky blackness. The quiet hum of her motor and the clack of her metal feet against the floor kept half of David’s attention to where she was, behind him.

 

With only a few steps taken from the elevator, the flickering fluorescent bulb behind David could not reach any further into the darkness, forcing him to turn on the mounted flashlight on his pistol. While he did have the light provided from his bulky Pip-boy, he felt as though it made him too obvious to others around him.

 

The white cone of lux lightened up the space in front of him. Through the damp air in front of David, he could make out specks of dust highlighted by his flashlight. They drifted slowly and steadily through the air, becoming eaten up by the darkness once they left the solace of his light.

 

“The air seems quite dirty here.”, Ada noted, breaking the calm silence between them. “But after a quick scan of the unseen substances floating in it, I can assure you that it is safe to breathe, sir.”

 

“Doesn’t look that way,” David responded, continuing his way down the hallway. “But I’ll take your word for it.”

 

“It’s recommended that you do.” Ada chirped.

 

“Yep.” David spoke quietly. His feet gently made contact with the first step of a descending stairway. “Come on Ada, down this way.”

 

“Gladly, sir.” Ada chirped. “Watch your step.”

 

The descent of the dark stairway became bathed in light as the silence remained. David tried to keep the noise of his footsteps to a minimum as he made his way down the stairs, keeping his pistol aimed steadily at the bottom of the stairway. Whilst the gross mold covering the stairs provided no grip to his trembling steps, they blanketed the noise made quite significantly.

 

“Watch behind us,” he muttered to his robotic companion, feeling his foot transition from the hollow, grated steps to the wholesome tiled floor.

 

He was right to be on guard. Nearly a couple of years wandering alone in a desolated, obliterated wasteland was the perfect pill to kickstart a crazed sense of paranoia. To David, few people felt safe, and fewer animals felt approachable.

 

He always kept his guard, and he kept it high.

 

“Will do, sir.” Ada replied confidently, turning her back to David as she followed him.

 

Silence fell yet again over them both, save for David’s slow breaths that wriggled and wavered out into the chilled air.

 

Usually, David would keep half his attention on the task at hand, and the other half on his partner’s gun. He’d often get paired up with random mercenaries or treasure-hunters, people looking to make a few caps. And while David was a generally polite and kind person in conversation, on the job he always made sure to keep a pair of eyes on the back of his head.

 

No-one could be trusted these days, not even your closest friends.

 

Then…David met Ada.

 

David met Ada around a sea of grass stained in red underneath an overpass, a splattering of mutilated bodies, both human and robotic, strewn across the natural landscape. He almost wanted to throw up.

 

No matter how many times he’d pointed a gun at the back of someone’s head and heard the quiet ‘tff’ of his silenced ten-millimeter pop a gaping hole in the person’s un-knowing skull, that was something he never wanted to see. David never had a strong stomach, and he felt the bile rising in his throat as he began to gag at the sight.

 

Then, he heard a quiet buzz. A sound so slight he wondered afterward how he even noticed it in his sickened state. As he turned his head to face the grotesque work of sloppy art, he saw her.

 

Or rather…’it’.

 

Ada wasn’t what you would call a ‘fancy’ robot by any means, and having her head planted firmly in the mud didn’t help her case either. Her body was covered in dirty footprints, turning her aqua-colored exterior into more of a polluted lake. However, David traced the buzz to her and gave her a gentle tap on the back, to which absolutely nothing happened. Intolerant of the stench that now invaded his nostrils, he got up to leave. Or, he would’ve, if he didn’t hear Ada chirp suddenly from behind him.

 

He distinctly remembered her first words to him. That voice that was stuck with him now.

 

‘Sorry to bother you sir, but could you please remove me from the ground, I’m having trouble doing so myself.’

 

Anti-climactic to say the least, but he’d be lying if a smile didn’t make its way to his quivering lips at her words. After their first encounter, Ada stuck with David and never left his side. And while he at times preferred to stay alone as he wandered, Ada insisted that she stayed beside him at all times to protect him wherever he went.

 

Saying that Ada was a big help to David would be one of the largest understatements he’d ever made. Ada had saved his ass (pardon the French) from nearly every single situation David had managed to get himself into. While she didn’t have much in the ways of weaponry, equipped with a simple metal claw for picking up objects and a semi-automatic laser rifle complexly welded and soldered into her other arm, David found out shortly after he’d yanked her head from the mud and gave her a quick wash down in a river (which he made sure to keep his own hands clean with a dirty rag) that she was equipped with a healing module, something he’d only ever seen on expensive military bots. It was damaged though, and it took David several days spent in the makeshift tent he carried in his backpack to fix it with a few applications of good old elbow grease. Once he finished, words couldn’t describe the overwhelming feeling of comfort dribbling throughout his body once he asked her to activate it.

 

Ada had become a best friend to him. And in a world where best friends gut each other for food and loot, Ada felt like the only friend that he could count on.

 

 Even though she constantly made her voice prominent behind him every five seconds, at least it was someone he could talk to. After nearly two years of keeping his voice tightly knotted in his throat, he was more than glad someone would let him untie his thoughts and watch them spring out in all its unraveled length.

 

“Sir?”

 

Ada would always offer to help, and even if he refused politely, she’d carry out the task anyway, while telling him that ‘It’s of no matter, sir.’ in an equally polite tone.

 

“Sir?”

 

Even though she was a plain robot, much like the rest of her model, she felt like a person at times. Like an actual person, someone who cared about his safety both physically and mentally, rather than following an order. She’d always ask him about his day and how he’s feeling, each and every day, and if something was up, she’d swiftly interrogate him about it until he felt better.

 

“Sir?!”

 

He felt a sudden prod on his chest, flooding his senses with the shocking torrent of reality at the sharp poke of a familiar metal claw.

 

“Gah!” he shouted, dropping his gun onto the floor after a quick fight with gravity and his fumbling hands. He paused for a moment, catching his breath. “God, Ada.”

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry sir, did I scare you?” Ada queried, tilting her head slightly to the side. “You seemed a little too lost in thought and I thought it best to bring you out of it.”

 

He bent down and picked up his signature pistol, curling his fingers around the smooth metal and checking for any sign of damage. “Well…uh…thankyou. But do it a little more subtly next time.”

 

“I called you three times in a row and gently touched your shoulder with each call.”

 

Her deadpan voice at times was something David also admired about her. Little touches of comedy you could say.

 

He let out a soft sigh, a small smile replacing his shocked expression as he continued his way down the dark hallway. He brought the pistol up again, sensing Ada following close behind him.

 

“Duly noted.” he muttered in his usual fashion, under his breath.

 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

“Sir?”

 

He heard the all-too-familiar voice behind him.

 

“Ada,” David replied calmly. “Anything new?”

 

“Are you by any chance feeling tired, sir?”

 

David stopped quietly, his foot gently stepping onto a large but shallow puddle that sprawled its large body underneath his sole.

 

“I haven’t slept since two days ago. So…yeah, I’m a little tired.”

 

“Would you like to find a place to rest, sir?” Ada spoke quickly, almost hurriedly. A hint of concern held itself in her voice.

 

David brushed her words off with a small wave of his free hand.

 

“Don’t talk crap Ada, look where we are. You think it’s a good idea to sleep six feet under?”

 

“I am most certainly not talking crap, sir. A lack of sleep will severely inhibit your perception of current surroundings.” her voice was now filled with concern. It was rare of her to swear, she saw it as a stain of mud on her otherwise glimmering politeness.

 

“Ada,” David said flatly, trying to rub the pain behind his eyelids, but to no avail. “I feel fine.”

 

“I can tell you’re not.”

 

“Ada.” he drawled, letting the ‘a’ linger for a second.

 

“Sir,” she responded, almost mocking David’s tone. “Find a good spot to sit down and rest. I’ll keep watch.”

 

“I don’t doubt you keeping watch or whatever but we need to search this place quickly, and an awake me is more useful than an asleep me.” David responded sternly, rounding a corner to find the vault’s designated cafeteria.

 

It looked like most of the other vaults he’d seen, retro-styled with bar-like stools and comfy cushioned lounges. However, like most other vaults he’d been in, this one had its own unique touch in the form of a repeated color; pink. It adorned the walls and the tiled floor, best described as looking like pristine chewing gum. David was afraid his foot was going to sink into the floor it looked that gooey, or that could’ve been how tired he was.

 

“Sir, would you like me to go and look for food? It seems like there could be a good supply of it in the back room over there.” Ada pointed to the room in question, hidden behind an aluminium door that swayed back and forth ever so slightly.

 

“Go for it. Good to top up when we get the chance.” David nodded, his hand feeling the wall next to him for any kind of switch. “Plus, the walk to get here was a little traumatic on my stomach.”

 

“Because you didn’t eat anything,” Ada spoke flatly after a brief pause. “Only after I forced you to.”

 

“Ah!” David exclaimed in glee as his fingers quickly snaked over (what he could assume was) a light switch. He flicked it and watched as, one after the other, fluorescent bulbs clicked and flickered themselves on, waking up after a presumably long hibernation. He grinned to himself.

 

“There we go,” he stated proudly, holstering his pistol as his eyes became adjusted to the pristine light. He was able to take in more details of his surroundings thanks to his new aid. “Place looks nice, doesn’t it?”

 

“By average human standards, this would fit into the category of being described by the word ‘nice’,” Ada said with a hint of condescension, though it was a little hard to pick up on. Then again, it was always hard to tell when Ada was a little upset, if robots could even get upset that is.

 

“Suit yourself, at least it makes me a little more relaxed.” David hopped onto one of the bar stools, dropping his backpack and the rest of his gear onto the table. He let out a long sigh and stretched his arms back behind his head, hearing a few cracks and pops reverberate throughout his body. “Gets you feeling a little nostalgic. I have more than a few bar stories, some of which I can actually tell now without the threat of the police being called on me.”

 

“I wouldn’t mind if you told them to me.”

 

“Oh boy, you’re in for a treat.” David’s mood immediately seemed to light up. He always treated most things so seriously that this side of him was as rare as escaping a radscorpion in the Glowing Sea

 

“Hang on,” he quickly rummaged through his backpack, sliding out a clean, glass bottle of Nuka-Cola Dark. His eyes lit up at the sight of the dark brown liquid sloshing inside the bottle, anxiously waiting to be released into his stomach in a bubbling torrent. “I picked this up a little while ago and I haven’t drunk it yet. Might as well.”

 

He popped the cap off with his thumb, watching it somersault through the air and land on the bar with a clack. Down the drink went, without a single hint of hesitation.

 

“I’ve been waiting to take a nice, hearty drink of this.” David exclaimed wiping his lips with the sleeve of his jacket. “So, anyway, I’ll start.”

 

“I’ll be listening.” Ada watched David continue to down the delicious drink as she scoured the multiple shelves and drawers behind the bar.

 

“So before the bombs dropped, about maybe…three or so years beforehand, I had a buddy named…” he paused, scratching his chin for a second. “Gerald…I think. I think his name was Gerald. Anyway, me and him used to hang out a bunch at this bar called The Downtown Drop-In. Now, it was called that cause it was downtown, obviously, and there wasn’t a special pass or whatever to get in, you literally just came by and dropped in.”

 

David took another gulp of the Nuka-Cola, not a particularly violent one but Ada would be lying if she didn’t catch a single drop of it slither down his neck.

 

“So one night, on a Friday I think, me and Gerald walk into the bar and take our usual spot which was these three seats that always seemed to be empty when we showed up. Now, this was a bar that had a good dancefloor and some nice music playing every night so sometimes we'd get down with the rest of em’, you know, bust some moves.”

 

“How would one bust a move?” Ada enquired curiously, tilting her head somewhat to the side. David held back a laugh, but eventually failed and let out a quick snort.

 

“It’s a figure of speech Ada, basically means to start dancing.”

 

“Oh. I’ve heard people use that before but now I know what they were talking about.”

 

“The more you know.” David took another dainty swig of the Nuka-Cola. “So, as I was saying, we would sometimes go down there with the rest of the crowd and start dancing. But this night, we both decided that after a long day of work, we’d take it easy and just talk.”

 

“Where did you work at the time?” Ada made sure to ask in between David’s sips for the sake of being polite.

 

“I used to work at a computer place actually. Can’t remember the name of it but I used to be the guy in the backroom who would have to wheel around the heavy equipment and repair the computers. Most of the time it was only me and Gerald working there so that’s how we became good friends. The job didn’t pay well but hey, it was something.” David explained, sliding the bottom of the bottle in little circles across the table as he spoke.

 

“That explains why you were able to repair me all these times.” Ada looked up at the ceiling, observing the moss clinging to its surface and analyzing it for potentially poisonous spores.

 

“Welp.” David sighed, bring a free hand up and gazing at his worn fingers. “These hands have a lot of use in them. Learned quite a lot about electronics while I was there, but I digress.”

 

He picked his drink back up and took a few sips from it.

 

“Back to the story, me and Gerald were just sitting at our little spot at the table and having a bit of a chat. Mostly about what we usually talk about like our day at work today or other trivial things. All of a sudden, the empty seat next to us gets taken by this absolute beauty of a girl. I’m talking gorgeous red hair, slim body, perfect ratios, and she looked approachable enough.”

 

“Did you feel anything for her at that moment?” Ada queried, opening the last of several empty drawers.

 

“At that moment? Yeah. I definitely felt something. Whether it was shock or whatever, I guess you could call her ‘drop-dead gorgeous’.” David took another sip, rather daintily this time. “I still remember looking over to Gerald and seeing him kinda egg me onto her.”

 

“Egg?” Ada asked in befuddlement as she closed the drawer. David chuckled again.

 

“It means to push or to coerce in a way. He wanted me to try and hit on her. Have you really not heard people talk like this?”

 

“I have, but I never questioned it.” Ada placed two large cans of tomato soup onto the table with a clack. She turned around and went about rummaging through the multiple shelves of empty bottles and cans, hoping to find something of value.

 

“Why question me then?” David raised an eyebrow, shuffling slightly on his stool. Ada froze for a moment, before swiftly continuing her search.

 

“Why not?”

 

David let out a soft sigh, a smile making its way to his lips.

 

“Back on track. So Gerald gives me that look that tells me to start talking to her, and I turn around and start…well…talking to her. I asked her how her day went and what drink she was getting. Peach Daquiri, fine choice I gotta add. But anyway, she had this voice that just seemed to…reach inside of you. It’s hard to explain.”

 

“She sounds like the perfect mate for you.” Ada closed another drawer, finding nothing. David felt his cheeks warm lightly, opting to down a heavy gulp of his Nuka-Cola as Ada watched, defeated by the sheer number of empty shelves and drawers.

 

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘mate’, but…yeah she definitely seemed like someone I was interested in. Then again, at the time, I was young, and I was interested in anyone that would bat an eyelid my way.”

 

David gazed up at Ada, expecting a question as to what he meant.

 

“It means anyone who took the slightest bit of interest in me.” he beat her to it, smugly grinning to himself.

 

“And I can’t say it was just me who felt that way about everyone. But it was a little destructive if I might add.”

 

“How would that be?” Ada asked.

 

“Well…” David paused, finding the words to explain with. “It’s hard to explain it to you specifically, no offense. But basically, at my age back then if a girl talked to me I immediately thought she was interested in me, when in reality she just wanted to talk. And once I found out that they weren’t interested it made me feel like I did something wrong, which I usually did.”

 

“Perhaps you were a little over-extending?” Ada suggested.

 

“Exactly!” David exclaimed, maybe a little too loudly, as he pointed at Ada. It seemed the deleterious effects of the Nuka-Cola Dark were getting to him. “That’s the word I was looking for. I would always push a little too much and scare them off.”

 

“Scare them?” Ada tilted her head as she spoke. “Nothing about you would seem like a reasonable excuse to get scared.”

 

‘Well…thanks.” David chuckled. He wasn’t so used to getting compliments, death threats were more his field of understanding. “When I say scared, I mean they get either embarrassed or too nervous to keep talking to you. Now, to a guy like me, especially at the time, that sort of thing really makes you feel guilt right down to the furthermost pit of your stomach. Anyhow, getting off track. I start talking to this girl, and she seemed as nice as she looked. She was respectful, kind, polite, funny. Everything I could’ve asked for.”

 

David took a final sip of his Nuka-Cola, saying goodbye to his special friend as he lobbed the glass behind him, hearing its body shatter and echo around the entire room.

 

“I could’ve sworn there was a garbage can there…huh.” he mumbled to himself, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

 

“Sir, the only garbage can in this room is right next to me.” Ada deadpanned from behind the counter.

 

“Really? Shit.” he grumbled, the scent of cola-flavored alcohol wafting from his breath. “So, by this point, I’ve been talking with this woman for around ten or so minutes, and she asks me if I wanna go down to the floor with her.”

 

By this point, Ada had given up asking David for meanings behind his colloquial language at times. To her, it seemed odd for such intelligent beings as humans to fall to the floor with each other after talking.

 

“So, she takes me by my hand and drags me from my stool. I quickly give a wink to Gerald and he gives me a thumbs up as we both nearly stumble down the stairs. I have to say, I don’t know whether it was the alcohol or how goddamn beautiful this girl was, but we both danced and danced the whole night away. It just all became a haze between the dizziness from the alcohol and the bright strobing lights, I can’t remember most of it.”

 

“It sounded like a fun night.” Ada chirped, stuffing the cans of tomato soup into her backpack.

 

“You bet it was. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had. She…she just had this way of reaching right inside of me and tearing out any positivity I had hidden. Don’t get me wrong, I was a nice guy for the most part but uh…I kept most of my feelings on the down-low after I scared off a few people for being a bit too…what was the word you used?”

 

“Over-extending?”

 

“Yeah, that.” David leaned back a little on his stool, hearing the aged metal groan in annoyance underneath him. “I really tried my best to be as approachable as she was to me. God, I don’t why but her face is just so fuzzy to me right now, I can’t remember anything else of that night.”

 

“Consuming too much alcohol does do that to you.” Ada piped up, standing motionless as she listened diligently.

 

“As it did.” David muttered, leaning forward and resting on his elbows. “I woke up the next morning at my house. Turns out Gerald had to drive me home after I passed out on the dancefloor, pretty embarrassing stuff. He managed to find my house keys in my pocket and throw me down on the couch, I thanked him later.”

 

“What about the girl? Did you hear any mention of her at all after that night.” Ada asked, being met with silence from David. He shifted again in his seat, his mood seeming to take a turn to the dark side, from Ada’s perspective at least. She’d known him for so long that she could immediately tell when something was wrong.

 

“I uh…didn’t hear anything from her. Gerald told me that she watched me pass out and just…laughed. Didn’t check if I was fine or anything, just laughed and…walked away with someone else probably.”

 

“I don’t see a reason to assume that she left you for someone else. Maybe, like you, she was too fixated on the moment and didn’t see you passing out as something serious. Think of yourself in her situation and what you would do if it was Gerald who passed out.” Ada made an attempt to lighten up the situation.

 

“If I was dancing with Gerald I think that would’ve been a little gay.” David chuckled, a good sign. “He would’ve definitely given me a good taste of his right hook in that situation. But I see where you’re coming from Ada, she was probably having a little too much fun. I mean, who wouldn’t? It sucks when stuff gets serious in the middle of some fun.”

 

“I can tell that from you.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” David gave Ada a quizzical look.

 

“You take everything really seriously, so it’s a relief to hear that you had fun at times.” Ada spoke warmly, she meant the words that escaped her. It pained her now to hear the fun David that used to exist before the world dived into hell.

 

“Well, there’s a reason for that.” David paused, hesitant to continue.

 

“What would that be, sir?”

 

“I like you Ada, you’ve been a big help ever since I found you stuck face-first in the ground.” David proudly stated. He too meant the words he spoke. It equally pained David to hear Ada talk about how serious he was, and how nice it was to hear that he used to be different.

 

“Look, I didn’t mean for this to take a serious turn Ada, I’m sorry. I just wanted to tell you a funny story and share what life was like before everything went to shit.” David rubbed the back of his neck, which had become suddenly itchy.

 

“The reason I’m so serious is that…” he paused.

 

“I don’t want anyone I trust to get hurt. Just the thought of losing you or anyone else because I fucked up and let something get to you. I just…” the words painfully escaped his lips. Though Ada was a machine and certainly lacked the proper understanding of emotions, he felt extremely hesitant at letting those words reach her. He wanted to reach out and grab them, take them back and replace them with something a little less heartfelt.

 

“It’s such a dangerous world out there Ada, both you and I know that. And you’ve been such a good help for me that the only way I can repay you is to…well…not let you die.”

 

David had zero clues as to where those words came from. They just seemed to flow straight out from his heart, words that he never knew he wanted to say but ended up saying them anyway.

 

“I had no idea that was the reasoning behind your stoic behavior and constant dismissal. I guess I should apologize for thinking wrongly of you.” Ada replied warmly, something she was good at.

 

David waved a dismissive hand, like many he’d dismissed Ada with.

 

“No, you shouldn’t be. The opposite in fact. I wanna apologize to you, Ada.” he leaned forward and gently placed a hand on the top of Ada’s head. He felt the pristine metal beneath the tiny layer of dust and dirt that’d built up, reminding him with a chuckle that he needed to wash her.

 

“I’m sorry for being a serious a-hole this entire time, and I hope that you and I can loosen up a little and take some time to relax.”

 

“Sir,” Ada paused, calming herself underneath his touch. “You’re treating me like a real person and it’s scaring me a little.”

 

“Get used to it.” David deadpanned, patting her head lightly before leaning back onto his crossed arms. “Besides, you don’t feel anything as strongly as I do. I should be saying the same thing to you.”

 

“Isn’t that a little mean, even if I’m a machine?” Ada queried.

 

“To be completely honest Ada, you do feel like a real person at times. I have to remind myself that you actually are a robot sometimes.” David smiled, looking up at the ceiling and wondering what in the ever-living hell was growing up there.

 

“Well, what constitutes being human?” Ada asked, gazing around the room in thought.

 

“Hard question to answer Ada.” David said. “I don’t have a real good response to it but…I guess if you can call something ‘human’ then it’s gotta be able to show emotion like one and, of course, look like one.”

 

“I was modeled to look relatively human, but what are emotions? I hear they’re something that humans show greatly.”

 

“Again, Ada, that’s a hard question to answer.” David rubbed his forehead, feeling the dirt from Ada’s head scratch against his skin. “Emotions are something that you can’t really define in itself, only different kinds of emotions. Basically, I can tell you what anger is like, that’s an emotion. But explaining emotions entirely is something beyond me.”

 

“Would you please explain them to me then?” Ada asked as she cocked her head to the side slightly, something she’d grown to do with nearly every question she asked David.

 

“You got any in particular that you wanna know about? Again, explaining different kinds of emotions is easy but I can’t really tell you everything that you wanna know.” David hopped off the stool and took a moment to stretch his limbs.

 

“We’ll start with anger since that was the one you used as an example. I know what anger is, but could you please tell me what it feels like to be angry?”

 

“Alrighty, anger.” David tapped his chin for a moment, pacing around the room and gazing at the various posters splayed out across the walls that depicted either an advertisement for Nuka-Cola or professional photography of sunbaking women, both of which David missed.

 

“Anger is an emotion, probably the worst of them all in my opinion, that usually comes when something goes wrong. Like, for example, you’re tightening a bolt, and as you keep tightening that bolt, everything’s going well until...pop!” David clapped his hands together, sending a loud echo throughout the cafeteria and the hallways joined to it.

 

“Your spanner shears and you’re unable to tighten any bolt with that spanner anymore. That would be a reasonable analogy to anger. It’s like a pressure that builds up inside you, and something triggers it or ‘pops’ it, in a sense. You getting this?”

 

Ada took a moment to process this new information. While she knew what anger was, and had seen people get angry plenty of times in her life, Ada was fascinated at how people could actually feel this ‘pressure’ build up inside of them before it broke out. She nodded her head in response.

 

“Neat.” David let out a quick sigh. “I ain’t so good with explanations. But, like most emotions, you’ll know anger best once you feel it. Which is a shame cause, well…you know.”

 

“I completely understand, sir. I’m just happy that you’ve lightened up.” Ada chirped. If she could smile, she would.

 

David snorted, shielding a smirk with his palm.

 

“Not to be rude but…you don’t actually ‘feel’ happy per se?” he asked.

 

“Of course, sir, I can’t actually ‘feel’ any emotion.” Ada replied, a questionable hint of condescension on her voice.

 

“Then why mention you’re happy about it? You could’ve said that you’re glad or that it’s a good thing that I’m happy.” David kept his lips straight, though on the inside he was smiling. His poker face was a great tool for lying and convincing and it’d become effective. Here though, he was just playing with her. “Why say that you, yourself, is the happy one?”

 

“Because I am happy?” Ada’s response was flatter than a sheet of cardboard. David leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms as he gazed at Ada.

 

“And how does it feel?” he questioned. Even if Ada was a robot, she couldn’t read minds, and she certainly couldn’t feel emotion. If she wanted to play this game, David was more than happy to continue. “Tell me, how does being happy feel?”

 

Ada turned away from him for a second, before turning back to him.

 

“It feels like…a light feeling. Like something’s gone right and I’m glad it has.”

 

“But isn’t that programmed into you? To feel that way when something that’s pre-coded into you does go right?” David smirked, waving another dismissive hand as he walked back over to bar stools to grab the sleeping bag from his backpack. “Never mind Ada. I’m just messin’ with you a little bit.”

 

“Sir, what’s love?”

 

The question flew from nowhere and smacked David straight in the temple. The hairs on his neck stood on end as he froze in his spot.

 

“Why do you ask?” he replied, dumbfounded. Ada held her gaze pointed at the floor in front of David.

 

“After hearing your story of that girl that you described, and also after some general thinking. I’m wondering how someone could love someone else.”

 

“Ada that’s…I mean…I don’t think I can explain that to something that won’t be able to fully experience it. I’m uh…I’m sorry about that but all I can give you is a rundown of it.” David said as he made his way to his backpack, rummaging through it and yanking out the stained yellow bundle of cloth.

 

“That’s okay sir,” Ada conceded. If she could sigh, she would. “It’s best for you to rest anyway.”

 

“I guess so.” David laid the sleeping bag out flat, took his jacket and shoes off, and slipped himself inside the comfortable (by wasteland standards) folds of fabric. In all honesty, he was glad he avoided trying to explain that burden of a topic to Ada. To him, love was something that could go good, or horribly, horribly bad. He’d have to explain it later to her, as well as all the bad experiences he’s had with it.

 

“Make sure to wake me up if anything happens. Be ready to search this place like hell in the morning.”

 

“I’m more than happy to stand guard sir, you should know that by now.”

 

“Ada, please call me David from now on, ‘kay?” he smiled, hearing the rustle of the two fabrics collide as he settled his head down and let sleep take him over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         

**Author's Note:**

> Goooooooooooood morning, (or evening depending on where you live), I appreciate the fact you made it through my short story. I wrote it after realizing the amount of creative potential chained up inside the Fallout lore. While it is one of my first stories, I do wish to improve further, so any errors or mistakes that you find (or just general constructive criticism) is more than welcome! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.


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